Linen thread hand stitching problems

[jpless77]

Does anyone have any tricks to keep linen thread from twisting so bad while hand sewing? Thanks in advance. 

[YinTx]

The best thing I have done is apply a lot of wax to the thread, and repeat every 10 stitches or so.  Also, I try to pull the thread perpendicular to the work, to minimize friction on the leather when I pull the thread.  I have also discovered quality of thread has some bearing on twisting:  Fil Au Chinois seems to have the least amount of issues for me, but it will still twist.  If anyone else has pointers, I'd be happy to hear them too!

YinTx

[jpless77]

Thanks 

[MADMAX22]

Did you get left or right twist thread, some say it matters and others say it doesnt. There is a long thread on it somewhere on the forum. 

I use barbours 6 cord linen thread, I wax the entire piece before hand with a bees wax and rosin mix. Never have to rewax anything until I run out of thread and get a new piece (like for doing a belt). 

Pretty sure I saddle stitch about same method as the next guy and never have any issues with it winding up/unraveling/or ....... 

[jpless77]

It's a left twist #6 cord from Campbell Randall. I think the problem might be I try to run a single length of cord when stitching a belt versus breaking it down into smaller lengths. More thread more problems I guess. How do you break your belt stitching up? 

[Harfindel]

I've done a fair amount of true hand sewing of unbleached linen (3, 4, and 5 cord) for saddle repair and light harness work.  I agree, waxing is very important.  I have to re-wax fairly often; with hand sewing (as opposed to machine) the entire length of the thread goes through each hole in the work as the stitches progress, so the wax gets worn off the distal end of the thread over time. It also makes it hard to work with thread lengths longer than an arm's length.  Also pay attention to the size of the awl blade you use to pre-cut the holes - if the holes are too small for the thread size you are using they cause more friction with the thread and therefore tend to "straighten" the thread cords as they go through, accentuating the knotting issues.

There are some other things you can try.  One is to use a reel awl to do the sewing, loading the reel with pre-waxed thread.  This results in a lock-stitch, not a true saddle stitch, so I don't like it for saddle and harness work.  But it does minimize the number of times each part of thread goes through a hole in the work.  This should minimize twisting.  I've used reel awls to hand stitch upholstery repairs - it was fairly quick and gave decent results once I got the hang of it.

The other idea is to oil the linen, like they used to do (and maybe still do) when the linen thread is used on a machine.  I think this might reduce the mechanical interaction between the thread and the walls of the holes in in the work, which is where the twisting problem comes from.  I think there are thread lubricants you can buy in bulk, and treat the entire spool of linen at a time.

I use Campbell Randall left-twist linen, by the way.

Hope these comments give you some ideas.

[jpless77]

Thank you all for the insight. Big help!